Model T Mechanics- 6 Foot Rule?

[Tim Rogers]

distancing.jpg (38.25 KiB) Viewed 4003 times

[jiminbartow]

Might have helped to combat the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. That one claimed 60 to 100 million victims, worldwide.

[Rich Eagle]

Perhaps just the ladies were keeping their distance.
Looking at the chassis in the foreground, I can see the steering column laying horizontal but can't identify the other conglomeration behind the transmission. Might it be a run-in device for the motor? There is an auxiliary gas tank mounted at right on the firewall.

[George House]

But the Model T on the far right interests me. Very early ‘15 w/ carbide headlamps. Almost looks like a right side window... coupelet ?

[R.V.Anderson]

Open car with the top lowered or removed.

[John kuehn]

Bet that was an impromptu shot. The guy who took the picture probably asked the mechanics to crawl out from under the cars and line up for a shot. There was enough grease on the their coveralls to kill any bug that landed on them! Big or little! Great real life shot!

[jiminbartow]

There is a lot of light illuminating that garage. I wonder if the photographer was using magnesium powder as a light source.

[Wayne Sheldon]

Interesting photo! Thank you Tim R for posting so many wonderful photos.
I do wish the detail was more clear, but sometimes that is all we can get. I can't tell if the T is a touring car or runabout, but the windshield says it isn't an enclosed body. It is also quite beat up, looks like a lot of hard use. Gas headlamps are unusual for sure. Factory Ford didn't let them out that way. But enough photos show them on '15/'16s and even sometimes early black era Ts that clearly a lot of people weren't ready to accept the new electric technology. Speculation says the local dealers probably swapped the electrics for gas lamps. It was a win-win for the dealer. He got to sell extra (and sometimes used) gas lamps for the fancy new ones while trading in the electrics which he could then sell to someone wanting to upgrade their older brass T. These are pretty beat up, the right one appears to have no lens and probably no mirror! As tired as this car looks, in this case, maybe the electric lamps got beat up until they didn't work at all and then replaced with used gas lamps?
There is something on the front axle (I think?), can't tell what it is, between the wheel and the spring perch. It may be some odd shock absorber? Anti-shimmy doodad? Can't tell.

The partial chassis could be a rigged up run in platform. Or maybe they are just rebuilding a car from the ground up. No rear end under it. Of interesting note, there is only one coil in the coil box.

The big car looks nice. Can't see enough of the engine to tell if it is a four, a six, or maybe even a V8? The cowl and body/door lines look a lot like a Lozier. (Lozier I don't think ever built a V8.) A good friend used to have a Lozier, a four, fantastic car! He was on the freeway one time, running late to get to the start of a nickel age club tour. When he arrived, he exclaimed that he was shocked the car held 45 mph up a long steep hill!
Wish I knew for certain what this car was.

Something wrong with that fellow in the middle. He is SMILING!

Great photo. Thank you.

[hah]

The mechnic next to the colum is chucking the bird!